Marketing April 29, 2026
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PR Principles That Never Go Out of Fashion

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Implement foundational relationship management and PR principles from Philippine industry veteran Susan Joven to build lasting business networks and client trust. Photo courtesy of Ginggay Joven-Dela Merced.

Business leaders can take a page from Susan Joven’s relationship-building strategies to expand their networks and increase client retention.

Good public relations (PR) is not hereditary. Yet here I am, running my late mother’s PR business, praying daily I do her name well.  

My mother is the late Philippine PR practitioner Susan Joven, a stalwart in the marketing, fashion, lifestyle, and media industries she championed for over five decades. She pioneered marketing innovations throughout her career, set PR standards -observed to this day- and helped shape careers. Her legacy offers proven frameworks for relationship-building in a transactional business climate. 

She did all these with panache and style, clad in her signature quirky oversized glasses, chunky earrings, colorful ensemble, and funky sneakers. 

Watching her work a room is a masterclass in relationship-building. She beguiles with sincerity.  She charms without pretense. She lights up a crowd.

To say she is irreplaceable is an understatement, so I don’t. I don’t even try.  

The best I can do to carry on her legacy is by upholding the basic values she embraced and espoused. Though the world has changed, some acts of thoughtfulness, kindness, and sincerity will never go out of fashion. 

Wisdom Beyond the Transaction

These are her guiding tenets: 

1. Remember people’s names and faces. This, admittedly, gets more challenging with age. Some people say they’re not good with names. Try harder. Look through social media. Make a dossier. Review. If genuinely stumped, re-introduce yourself and hope they’ll volunteer to say their name too. A good recall trick is to connect the person to a unique facet of themselves you chatted about in the past. Hopefully, it’ll prompt you to remember. If all else fails, assign a team member to brief you on key attendees before networking events.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Her approach is built on sincerity and basic human values rather than transactional gains. The article highlights that she "beguiled with sincerity," proving that acts of thoughtfulness, kindness, and respect remain the most effective tools for building a lasting professional legacy.

The author recommends proactive effort, such as reviewing social media or creating dossiers of key individuals before events. To trigger memory, you can link a person to a specific detail from a past conversation, or assign a team member to provide a briefing on important attendees.

It involves choosing not to be the center of attention in small moments, such as sharing credit with the team or letting others have the last word. Over time, these consistent habits of consideration build deep loyalty and trust with both clients and employees.

These basic tenets are often neglected in a busy business environment but are essential for respect. Apologizing for mistakes instead of making excuses, asking for favors politely, and acknowledging the efforts of others are the simplest ways to maintain professional dignity.

Continuous learning across diverse subjects helps a leader identify patterns that others might miss. By asking questions and exploring topics that don't have an immediate payoff, you sharpen your judgment and develop a way of thinking that adds unique value to every interaction.

Ginggay Joven-Dela Merced

Ginggay Joven-Dela Merced

Writer

Ginggay Joven-Dela Merced is a communications professional with deep roots in public relations. She began her career at 14 as a columnist for Philippine STAR’s Young Star and later became the country’s youngest magazine editor-in-chief. In media, she helmed print, online, and broadcast channels before transitioning into marketing communications. She later joined her mother, PR veteran Susan Joven, in running PR firm Visions & Expressions.

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